Dear Black people,
Today will be hard. We’re faced with the reality that one of our freedom fighters in the movement transitioned yesterday on their own terms. We’re faced with the reality that those same struggles, those same demons are also attacking those around us and maybe attacking inside of us ourselves. As we fight and fight and fight our bodies, our spirits our mentality, our very sense of existence in this resistance begins to weaken. It gets hard, and it’s been hard, and we can’t pretend that it’s not. As black womyn. Black trans. Black queers. Black femmes. Black people. We’re always told that we’re strong, and sometimes we’re not and that’s ok. We may be magic, but we still hurt, we feel pain, and we shed real tears. Tears for our ancestors, tears for each other and tears for ourselves. And tears for those who have yet to enter into this realm.
I wish I could tell you with conviction that “it will be ok” but honestly I don’t know if it will be. I don’t know how much longer I, we, you can go on. I don’t know how much fight and breathe we have left in our bodies.
I just don’t know
I do know that it can feel better, even if just temporarily with other people. I know that we can find little bits of joy in the world around us. Look for it black children. In nature, look for it in yourself.
Today I want you to hold someone and be held. This fighting that we do will start to take its toll and wear down on us and it’s hard to always be strong when you’re constantly being beaten down but know that you truly are loved. You truly are beautiful. And you truly are more than enough.
Will tears and love,
A black queer
